Check It Out

Links to cool places or things.

There are 1,530 posts filed in Check It Out (this is page 77 of 153).

RALEIGH: Raleigh Housing Authority: Where the streets have magicians’ names

A prominent local journalist commented that this “story” smacks of “piling on.” I have to agree. Naming streets? The nerve!

There might be a lot of things to take issue with regarding Steve Beam but to jump on him for naming streets is not one of them. This is weak and petty, N&O. It’s your credibility that’s in a disappearing act.

RALEIGH — When the Walnut Terrace public housing complex reopens next year, its residents will find that their new addresses bear the names of obscure magicians.

Steve Beam, Raleigh Housing Authority director and card-trick expert, has named the new development’s streets after historical figures in magic, most of whom – like Beam – were known for masterful illusions with a deck of playing cards.

via RALEIGH: Raleigh Housing Authority: Where the streets have magicians' names | Wake County | NewsObserver.com.

Nasa says Mars mystery rock that ‘appeared’ from nowhere is ‘like nothing we’ve seen before’ – Science – News – The Independent

This is bizarre.

A mysterious rock which appeared in front of the Opportunity rover is “like nothing we’ve ever seen before”, according to Mars exploration scientists at Nasa.

Experts said they were “completely confused” by both the origins and makeup of the object, which is currently being investigated by Opportunity’s various measuring instruments.

via Nasa says Mars mystery rock that ‘appeared’ from nowhere is ‘like nothing we’ve seen before’ – Science – News – The Independent.

Here’s the referenced Mars status report from NASA.

Cord Cutters And The Death Of TV – Business Insider

The cord-cutting and shift away from TV that I mentioned before is accelerating. TV as we’ve known it is dying.

The TV business is having its worst year ever.Audience ratings have collapsed: Aside from a brief respite during the Olympics, there has been only negative ratings growth on broadcast and cable TV since September 2011, according to Citi Research.

Media stock analysts Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson recently noted, “The pay-TV industry has reported its worst 12-month stretch ever.” All the major TV providers lost a collective 113,000 subscribers in Q3 2013. That doesn’t sound like a huge deal — but it includes internet subscribers, too.

Broadband internet was supposed to benefit from the end of cable TV, but it hasn’t.

In all, about 5 million people ended their cable and broadband subs between the beginning of 2010 and the end of this year.

via Cord Cutters And The Death Of TV – Business Insider.

The Problem with Facebook


Larry Lessig shared a video from Derek Muller of Veritasium about one of the biggest problems with Facebook: the intentional throttling of shared content.

It’s easy to take it for granted that what you post on Facebook is seen by all of your Facebook friends but that is actually far from the truth. Facebook’s business model actually requires the service to limit what people see, and to sell you the opportunity to promote your content for a fee. This video is a well-thought-out examination of what your role is as a Facebook user (hint: you’re being manipulated).

I wrote about this activity last year but it’s good to have a video which explains it so much better.

After loss of key doctors, WakeMed seeks to stabilize

I enjoyed John Murawski’s excellent health care story in today’s N&O. You should read it if you haven’t already.

One underlying theme I deduced from the story is summarized here:

“Hospitals have a possibility of providing you with a network of referring physicians, where you can sleep on a more comfortable cushion, knowing that you’re going to get a share of the market and referrals on a regular basis,” Lacin said.

Lacin also said working for Rex frees him and other doctors from money worries and lets them concentrate on practicing medicine.

This got me thinking. Could medical care simply not be a good fit for the so-called “free market?” Honestly? Doctors don’t want to hassle with the business side so they let someone else (i.e. hospital) deal with it and, before you know it, our medical costs are soaring.

What if we went to single-payer healthcare in America? It seems to me that the burden of business hassles could be taken on by the government just as easily as a hospital and the costs could be much less.

With its soaring costs, I think it’s fair to say the free market is failing the medical industry. One day Americans will wake up to this and join the civilized societies which value the mutual health of their citizens.

via After loss of key doctors, WakeMed seeks to stabilize | Health & Science | NewsObserver.com.

STEM night at Conn Elementary

An N.C. State student demonstrates a plasma tube at Conn Elementary

An N.C. State student demonstrates a Crooke’s Tube at Conn Elementary


Tonight Conn Elementary hosted a STEM night with the help of students from N.C. State’s College of Engineering. STEM of course stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Multiple stations were set up around the school cafeteria where Conn’s students could perform experiments and learn more about science and engineering. I took Travis and Kelly volunteered. We all had a blast!

Symphony rehearsal field trip

Symphony rehearsal

Symphony rehearsal


Being between jobs has its advantages. I spent the morning acting as a chaperone when Ligon’s orchestra students went on a field trip to Meymandi Hall to watch the North Carolina Symphony rehearse for its upcoming Beethoven performance. It was interesting to watch the conductor and orchestra work out the (barely noticeable) kinks in the performance. The kids were also remarkably well behaved, though I think some were quite restless by the end of the two hours.

One of the highlights of the performance was the pianist, Irina_Zahharenkova. She is a phenomenal pianist, memorizing the music so completely that she could know what to play when the conductor asked to start again at measure 415. She also has 8 fingers on each hand, which is the key to her playing. Ok, I made that part up but she can sure play like she has extra fingers!

I hoped to ride Hallie’s bus the five blocks to the concert hall but the seating arrangements made it unworkable. I opted to let her hang with her friends at the hall, too. With that many kids it was tough finding one-on-one time with her. Even so, we compared notes (ha!) afterward and agreed it was good to have gone.

Rock Band Invites 11-Year-Old Guitarist Onstage

This kid’s got chops. I love how nonchalant he remains.

Fisher and his dad waited four hours to nab seats in the front row at the Midland Theatre. And then during the concert, Fisher suddenly graduated from his spot in School of Rock in Millard, Neb. to center stage at a big-time rock ‘n’ roll show, WOWT-TV in Omaha reported.Steel Panther called him up on stage.The band asked Fisher if he was nervous. In front of thousands of fans, he said no — and with that launched into “Eruption,” the iconic electric guitar instrumental by legendary six-string master Eddie Van Halen.Not more than a few seconds into the flurry of notes the Steel Panther guys were visibly impressed…

via Rock Band Invites 11-Year-Old Guitarist Onstage — What He Does Next Blows Away the Band and the Audience | Video | TheBlaze.com.

We need to talk about TED | Benjamin Bratton

A critical (and much-needed) look at TED.

Instead of dumbing-down the future, we need to raise the level of general understanding to the level of complexity of the systems in which we are embedded and which are embedded in us. This is not about “personal stories of inspiration,” it’s about the difficult and uncertain work of demystification and reconceptualisation: the hard stuff that really changes how we think. More Copernicus, less Tony Robbins.

Keep calm and carry on “innovating” … is that the real message of TED? To me that’s not inspirational, it’s cynical.

via We need to talk about TED | Benjamin Bratton | Comment is free | theguardian.com.